She made the remarks at a recent conference.
Household contacts of a positive case are no longer asked to test unless they develop symptoms themselves.
We can't rely on the comforting assumption that COVID will get less severe over time.
Pharmac has approved the transition to the updated vaccine for the XBB.1.5 strain from next month.
The number of people currently hospitalised with the virus was 200.
"It's getting ahead of our immune system."
The school expects to be back open on Wednesday.
"They need to be regarded like diabetes patients or cancer patients."
A group from Russia is poised to be the first known tourists allowed into North Korea since early 2020.
